There’s not a week that goes by without at least one total ‘stranger’ stopping me out of the blue and asking me… “Can I ask you what your secret is for keeping yourself in such great shape?”
Now you have to realize – I’m not exactly an “imposing figure”…
But in the last 2 weeks – this has happened literally almost every day. Everywhere I go… Publix, Target, Whole Foods, the bank, the beach…
So – I took that as a sign to write about ‘my secret’…
Now, the beach is a no-brainer because I’m just wearing swim-shorts – so it’s easy to see my whole physique (almost). I’m usually with my kids – and sometimes their friends…
It’s sometimes tricky for people to figure out “who I am”.
Am I the babysitter? …the older brother?
When they realize I’m their Dad – then they get really surprised. Because, truth is – most dads have a wickedly rounded beer gut flopping out over their swim-shorts – at the center of an un-toned, rapidly aging body. And it’s an extreme rarity to see a dad of 3, with washboard abs, 9% body-fat and a well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing physique.
It’s important to note here – this is not all about the superficial aspects. Because my ‘secret’ lies in the non-superficial elements of keeping myself in-shape – in mind, body and spirit.
But even when ‘fully clothed’ – people can still see that ‘I’m fit.’ It just shows… But they can also sense I’m not in my early 20’s. Maybe it’s the several white hairs in my goat-T which hint I’m more in the ‘middle-age’ zone, from a chronological perspective.
Physiologically – I’m not even close to 40 years old. At my last physical, my doctor joked… “I’ll see you back here, for your next check-up, in ten years, Joey.”
Now before I reveal my secret – let me just list a few neat things about being healthy & fit as a single, ‘middle-aged’, dad:
1 – It should make finding my “wife-for-life” a bit easier. Let’s face it – most women would rather not be with an out of shape and unhealthy mate. Simple.
2 – My kids think it’s cool to see how other people check out their dad – and ask “how I do it”, etc..
3 – I’m a role model for my kids; as they see what I do and participate in some of my workouts too. They also learn how to eat by direct experience on the weekends/days they are with me.
4 – I’m rarely sick and I look forward to waking up every day to experience all that life sends my way.
5 – I’m a role model and an inspiration for other middle-age parents. They realize, especially after speaking with me, “they can do it too.”
I can add more to this list – and maybe you can too (feel free to do so in the comments section below)…
But now – it’s time to share my ‘secret’… This is how “I do it…”
‘A’ is the MOST important and it sets the stage for EVERYTHING else…
A – Being fit and in-shape is part of my values. I’ve been horribly out of shape/unhealthy in the past – and that way of life is not for me. Since it’s part of my values – it all goes deeper than the superficial aspects of simply “having a great body” – IT ALSO TOUCHES THE MIND AND THE SPIRIT. It enhances this multi-dimensional ‘connection’.
B – Exercise and eating right (most of the time) are not options – they are actions/habits in line with who “I am.” I want a high quality of life. I want to lead by example. I want to ‘Live to the Max’.
C – I enjoy my workouts and the foods/meals I eat. I don’t have to force myself to do anything. I crave it all. I look forward to it all. (If you are not enjoying your workouts and the foods you eat – you may need to re-evaluate it all – SO YOU ARE DOING THINGS YOU ENJOY WHICH WORK IN YOUR FAVOR)
D – My workouts are 90% body-weight training. This allows me to workout literally ANYWHERE. Some of my best workouts when I travel are done on a playground. (the other 10% involves, bands, dumbbells, medicine ball). I am free from the confines of “the gym” – although I can walk into any sweat shop and get busy with the best of them – BUT, by doing it my way.
At this point I’m realizing there is plenty more for me to share about this – so, I’ll surely be expanding on some of these points in future posts. But, for now – please feel free to share your thoughts, comments or questions below… I’d love to hear from you…
I’ll introduce this post with brevity and a lack of ‘setting the scene’. Reason being – the story will reveal all we need to know, by it’s very nature…
Here’s an email that came in just a few hours ago – in reply to one of my thought provoking email newsletters:
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Secrets of a Trainer: Siarra, don’t let this happen to you,
ever…
From: Siarra K -siarra-k@_____.com-
Date: Tue, August 10, 2010 3:47 am
To: -joey @ joey atlas . com-
Hello Joey,
Thank you for drafting and sending these amazing email newsletters. The insight and real life stories are valuable and I really look forward to receiving your emails!
On this topic of personal trainers…
A work colleague and I started our weight loss mission at the same time. I started your lower body program whilst she joined the gym and got herself a personal trainer. I have to admit; at the time I was a bit jealous and was convinced her results would be much better and faster than mine.
Since we started at the same time, we are always discussing and comparing our results. I have visibly lost weight and inches off by waist, butt and thighs. Whereas, my colleague hasn’t lost any weight and is looking bigger, wider and more muscular.
She is totally miserable with her results so far and I am totally ecstatic with my result so I asked her to ditch the gym and her trainer to start your program.
You would think the choice was an easy one to make but she simply refuses to accept that i have gotten better results with paying a fraction of the costs she paying (she’s paying monthly gym membership fees PLUS $40 per hour with the personal trainer).
This has led to a lot of discussion around whether my program is better than going to the gym with a personal trainer. I am unclear and confused by some things she and her trainer have brought up because my knowledge in exercise is really poor so I thought who better to ask than Joey?
Can you give me your feedback on the 5 points she and her personal trainer made, below:
I look forward to your response.
Regards,
**Siarra K
1 – “All the celebrities go to the gym and have personal trainers…”
>> Joey’s Reply:
A – That’s an exaggeration. Not every celebrity goes to the gym – and not every celebrity has a personal trainer. Some celebrities could even show the average trainer a thing or two.
B – Even if that was true – SO WHAT! It doesn’t “prove” anything. Celebrities are “regular people” but many of them have the money to spend on trainers, all year round. This DOES NOT prove the theory which implies simply having a personal trainer is better than not having one. (Results are what counts.)
2 – “Women simply cannot get big and muscular with weights because we don’t have the same hormones as men. Initially she may be bulking up but those muscles will help her lose fat/weight and in the longer term she will lose more weight than me.”
>> Joey’s Reply:
LOL – Oh yes they can! This happens QUITE OFTEN. It has nothing to do with hormones. This is about ‘relativity’. A woman doesn’t have to bulk up like a man would in order to feel “she has bulked up”. All she needs to experience is what your friend is going through to realize IT DOES HAPPEN. The common rhetorical excuse is the hormone thing you mention above. Trainers love to use that one. But they can only get away with it for so long. Eventually the female client has enough of the “waiting” for the right things to happen – and decides to part ways and find another solution for her personal fitness needs.
3 – “By doing the same repetitive exercises, my body will stop responding and I will stop losing weight.”
>> Joey’s Reply:
Ah! Another “gym/trainer myth”. See, this excuse/myth IS PERFECT for the typical ‘weights and machines’ approach to fitness training. It’s used as a ‘smoke & mirrors’ tool to keep clients clinging to hope and thinking they need to keep having a trainer guide them, to change, vary and “mix up the program” – all in efforts of keeping the body guessing, blah, blah, blah… NONSENSE!!
When you do the right exercises as part of the well-designed program – YOUR BODY DOES NOT STOP RESPONDING – even if all, or most, of the exercises/program is “the same”.
4 – “The gym is a good way to exercise the heart and get the blood pumping around the body.”
>> Joey’s Reply:
So is making love for an hour!! COME ON NOW! – there are plenty of ways to get a great cardio workout – “the gym” is only one option on a list of many. (jumping rope, step-up & downs, cardio-fusion, making love, etc…)
5 – “The only way to lose the post-baby protruding tummy is to have a surgical tummy tuck and no amount of exercise will help.”
>> Joey’s Reply:
First of all – That is PURE Bu11$#!T. Sure it’s easier and has a high (short term) success rate for that specific area. BUT, there are women who’ve gotten rid of the post-pregnancy tummy bulge WITHOUT a tummy tuck. And they do it with a PROPER SYNERGY of exercise and simplified nutrition.
My replies are not intended to denounce traditional personal trainers and/or the conventional practice of personal training. But simply to shed light on the dynamics of (mis)communication, interaction, trust, marketing and understanding – as it applies to the profession of personal training and most importantly, it’s consequences on clients and potential clients.
There are MANY great trainers on the open market – BUT this does not make all trainers great – or even competent.
The tale of two approaches above, as outlined by Siarra, is great a example of firsthand experience – one which defies common logic. But does so with no “he said, she said” or “I heard about this through my friends cousin…”.
Better yet – we can consider it an un-official experiment. One that is bucking conventional wisdom, as we speak…
Siarra’s friend is now in the position to make a decision about her investment in the trainer, and more importantly about her needs & goals. Time will tell how her experience pans out.
In the meantime, Siarra will be sticking to my program and fine-tuning her body with each passing week
Have any comments, thoughts or questions about this post? Just type below in the ‘comments’ section. I’d love to hear from you…
I hope you’re having a great week – and you are ‘Living to the Max’ – or at least making efforts in that direction. To help you along, I’ve been writing some pertinent pieces of info…
Here’s a summary of articles, blog posts and information you may have missed during the past week or so… All in one place for your reading convenience
1 – Atlas Home Gym: I’ve created a special new site for the ‘HG’ version of the Atlas Unit. There are already some great articles and videos on the site. But I will be adding MANY more to grow the site into a ‘home gym powerhouse’. I think you’ll really like this =>> Home Gym Blog
2 – Yoga Exposed: Are There Really Any Benefits of Yoga? <= this is an article I just posted on the ULBHTM Blog click to visit => Are There Really Any Benefits of Yoga?
3 – Back-Pain Article and Free Back-Pain CDs <= this is an article I recently posted on the Optimum Flexibility Blog click to visit => Back-Pain Article and Free Back-Pain CDs
4 – Co-Ed Total-Body FUSION Fitness DVDs: I should have the masters in my hand any day now, and once reviewed, I ship them out west to my fulfillment partners in Utah. I’m putting together an incredible bonus package to go with this dvd set. I promise it will knock your socks off. On a side note – Kristy and I will be marketing these dvd sets separately as we both have slightly different audiences, she will be creating a bonus package more suited to her audience.
5 – Half-Day Coaching/Training Sessions in New York and Connecticut: I’ll be ’sneaking’ into the lower New York and Connecticut area for the second half of July. If you are in that region and are interested in a Half-Day Coaching/Training Session. Click on the ‘CONTACT’ page and send me an email.
Thanks for stopping by here today. I appreciate you taking the time to read what I write for you…
Please feel free to share today’s post with anyone you know who can benefit from any of the helpful info I’ve shared with you.
-
We’ve been getting lots of emails asking a bunch of great questions about the new DVD set we are filming this Friday, in Orlando @ Studio One Wellness, http://studionewellness.com (if you are local – check them out, as they offer a varied menu of fitness classes, yoga and massage therapy in a “non-gym” type atmosphere.)
So we decided to post this today to help answer them – and give you a place to post more questions and comments (at the bottom)…
Make no mistake – this Co-Ed Full-Body FUSION Workout program is not for pure beginners.
Male or female – you’ll want to have some kind of basic level of fitness already established, as these workout DVDs are geared toward intermediate and advanced ’students of fitness’.
We can’t reveal too much at this point – But here is a little sneak preview outline of what this complete program looks like:
DVDs 1 – 4 will each have two training sessions… a short workout and a longer workout. Both workouts on each dvd can be combined for an even longer workout, depending on your schedule, goals, fitness level, etc….
DVD # 1: Bodyweight and Resistance Bands
DVD # 2: Bodyweight and Dumbbells
DVD # 3: Bodyweight, Swiss/Exercise Ball and Medicine Ball
DVD # 4: Ultimate FUSION Combo: Bodyweight, Resistance Bands, Dumbbells, Swiss Ball and Medicine Ball
DVD # 5: Online Bonus DVD: Each of these workouts can done more than once in the same session, depending on your schedule, goals, fitness level, etc… They can also be combined for a Cardio-Resistance Playground Workout.
There will also be some more surprise bonuses for the first 300 people who take advantage of the Special Pre-Release offer. Over 210,000 people will be on notice for the Official Release – so the 300 Early-Bird spots will be gone in a blink…
Before the Master DVDs go to the duplication center, we will be running a Pre-Release Special for the first 300 lucky people – which gives you an “Insider Discount” – plus FREE SHIPPING. These will go VERY FAST – so if you want to get early notification of the Pre-Release Special, then just enter your first name and email below.
By doing this – you will get the early notice before everyone who is not signed up for early notification.
Thanks to the success of all my current fitness dvds (thanks to YOU!) and online fitness programs, I’ve been able to take a look into the future, with everyone’s feedback and suggestions in mind, and set my sights on what needs to be created for you, as we all seek to make progress.
If you’ve been with me for more than a few weeks – then you know I’ve teamed up with my super fitness pal, Kristy Lee Wilson – to work on this next big project. We’ve named it “Co-Ed Full-Body Fusion Fitness” (The “F-Bomb” Series).
A big factor in leading us to create this set has been all the requests I’ve received over the last 6 years to “please come out with a full-body program, Joey” etc…
But knowing how much work goes into creating and recording a program like this motivated me to look for someone to partner up with and make something that knocks everyone’s socks off…
So, Kristy and I just finished creating the outline – and we’re both pretty impressed with how this is shaping up. We promise, you are in for more than a treat when this program is released. We are also creating a very cool bonus package which could actually stand alone as it’s own program… Stay tuned…
2 – Home Fitness/Home Gym Surprise
You already know how much I favor “in-home fitness” and all the benefits that come with this approach. But, what I’ve realized over the last few years are 2 things:
A – There is a VERY BIG desire from people all over the world – to learn more about creating an ideal ‘home gym’ environment – and a lifestyle which naturally incorporates fitness into a regular and effective ‘life routine’.
B – There is very little “good” information to help fill this big desire – and furthermore – there is a lot of “less than helpful/misleading” info on this topic. Actually – there is far too much crumby info on this topic out there…
And, with that in mind – I’m going to be addressing this shortage of “home gym” guidance with my local buddy, Jack – who isn’t a ‘fitness pro’ – but he is an avid home gym enthusiast who also knows there needs to be a “home gym/fitness authority site” on the internet – to start guiding regular, everyday people in the right direction.
When you finally see what we have planned – you’ll be blown away and extremely thankful for all the info and advice we’ll be laying out there for you.
3 – The Atlas Unit Channel
Lots of subscribers have been emailing for updates on The Atlas Gym Unit.
Here’s the latest:
I just created an official channel for it on Youtube => The Atlas Gym Unit Workout Channel
…and I posted a 9-minute arm workout as the first exercise video. I think you’ll like it…
Over the next few weeks, months and years – I will be posting endless workout videos which will all be centered around The Atlas Gym Unit. Some of the combo sessions will include bands, dumbbells, med. balls, stability ball, and a few other surprises…
All I ask is that you go check out the channel, subscribe to it (free) to get all the new exercise videos I post, let all your friends know about the channel – and feel free to leave your comments on the channel as well.
4 – Mens Fitness
Although most of my clients and subscribers are women, I get a lot of questions from men. But they are a bit weird as most of them are unsure if I know how to help “males”.
Ehhhh… Guys, come on – If you watch the video above, I think you’ll agree I can also help “you”. If you are interested in something specific (building muscle, athletic performance, gaining natural strength, etc..) then just post your comments below, so I can have a better idea of your needs and goals…
5 – The Fit-Life Show >> http://www.TheFitLifeShow.com
We are almost ready to record Episode # 3 of The Fit-Life Show. So far – we’re getting a LOT of positive feedback on it – and hey, it’s FREE so if you haven’t tuned in yet – you can get in right here => The Fit-Life Fitness Podcast
OK – it’s almost 4pm here (USA, EST) and I’m playing Big Daddy this weekend. So, I need to gear up to go pick up my ‘crew’ (JoJo, Alexa & Darah)…
Oh – before you go – check out this pic of me and Alexa breakin’ it down last week with some bands hooked onto The Atlas Unit:
Me & daughter Alexa: Band Training
Don’t forget to check out the links above – and post any and all comments, thoughts and questions for me in the comment section below…
which hint I’m more in the ‘middle-age’ zone, from a chronological perspective.
